Pakistan dares India: We are not Myanmar, stop day-dreaming

Pakistan has reacted sharply to reports suggesting that India could do a repeat of the hot pursuit strategy to take on militants in the neighbouring country, saying that Islamabad is fully capable of defending aggression.

Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that India should not mistake Pakistan for Myanmar. “Our armed forces are fully capable of responding to any foreign aggression and Indian leaders should stop daydreaming,” he said.

His remark came after India’s Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that the operation carried out by the Special Forces, which killed nearly 20 militants of the groups blamed for the deadly ambush in Manipur that killed 18 soldiers on June 4, inside Myanmar was a message to Pakistan and groups “harbouring terror intent towards India”.

The minister’s remarks elicited sharp reactions from Islamabad. Those who harboured “bad intentions” towards Pakistan should open their eyes and ears, said Mr Khan, adding that India’s “nefarious designs” will not succeed in future like it did in the past.

Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said, “We are not Myanmar. Don’t you know our military strength? Pakistan is a nuclear nation. India should stop day dreaming.”

In recent months, Pakistan has been accusing India of making plans to destabilise the country, so much so that several leaders have accused the Indian Army of violating the LoC and working boundary and India’s refusal to start peace talks with Pakistan.

Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security, also went on the offensive, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks about Islamabad promoting terrorism had spoiled the atmosphere and contributed to “shrinking the constituency for peace”.

During his visit to Bangladesh, Mr Modi had targeted Pakistan, accusing the country for creating “nuisance” and constantly troubling India by promoting terrorism across the border.

Mr Aziz also said that Pakistan’s government had taken note of Modi’s remarks in Bangladesh that “acknowledged India’s involvements in the events of 1971.

In retaliation for the June 4 ambush in Manipur, India masterminded and executed a well-coordinated hot pursuit of rebels inside the Myanmar territory, liquidating 20 insurgents and destroying militants’ camps.

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